The Dreaded Word...CHANGE!

I like change. On the other hand I hate change.

Right now I have a recliner in my house that is in severe need of being chucked out the door. It's been broken about five times and somehow my wife has brought it back to life time and time again. It's in really sad shape. But I don't want to part with it. Logically, I should be ready for a new chair or a different chair, but emotionally I'm really not ready to give it up. We've had this chair for several years. I've taken many naps in it. I've watched much TV and movies in it. I've rocked children in it. We are tight and I don't want to let it go.

But it's just a chair.

What about when the changes in our lives involve people?

I know people that have fought for their marriages, they said "till death do us part" but their spouse has other intentions. They don't want to see this change. They want their family to stay the way it is.

This past week we spent several days in Minnesota with my wife's family. It was the first time I'd been up there since my father in law passed away in October 2015. It was weird not having him around. It was change and I didn't like it. When we lose loved ones, grandparents, parents, brothers and sisters, even children, life changes. We don't like it. We had things a certain way and we liked it. There were traditions, special days, celebrations, get-togethers, and these things change when we lose people. What do we do about all of this dreaded change?

We cling to our anchor.

Hebrews 6:19 says, We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure. It enters the inner sanctuary behind the curtain. Our hope in Jesus is our anchor. Life comes at you really hard. It brings some pretty severe storms and trials your way. There is not much you can count on that will not change. What you thought would never go away disappears before you even know it. People trust in money, their career, their homes, their strength and health, and all of this can go away very quickly. Our hope in Jesus is an anchor for our souls...firm and secure. When all else might be failing around you your hope in Jesus is there.

I cannot tell you how many people have come to me in times of crisis and asked, "How do people that don't have God in their lives get through this?" The plain answer is, "I don't know." It's hard enough with God, with the anchor of hope that we have, but what if we have nothing to cling to? Where do we go? I have lots of people that I love that cling to all kinds of things that let them down. Don't settle for false hopes. Don't settle for anchors that won't hold. Don't reach out for something that won't be there when you really need it. Reach for Jesus. He is a true hope that will never let you down.